London, 8 September 2023
Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.
President,
Let me first condemn another appalling Russian missile attack earlier this week on a market in Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine. Intentionally directing attacks against civilians is a war crime, and those responsible must be held to account.
Last year, in violation of the democratic will of the Ukrainian people, and of the UN Charter, Russia attempted to illegally annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. We saw Russian soldiers round people up to cast ballots at gunpoint for Russia’s so-called “referendums.”
As colleagues have said, the General Assembly emphatically rejected Russia’s actions. 143 Member States denounced Russia’s blatant violation of international law. The Secretary General condemned Russia’s attempted annexations.
Now Russia is committing another violation of the UN Charter by holding so-called “elections” within these four oblasts and in illegally annexed Crimea. Russia claims it is protecting the right to self-determination. But as my Foreign Secretary has said, you can’t hold elections in someone else’s country. Not only are Russia’s actions illegal and illegitimate, but we have information that the Kremlin has pre-determined the results of the sham elections across sovereign Ukrainian territory which Russia temporarily controls.
This gross deception will bring Russia no closer to justifying its war of aggression, just as Russia, in a year, has come no closer to expanding its control over the areas it has claimed in its failing invasion.
We also have information that “this year, Russia aims to host around 100,000 Ukrainian children from Russian-controlled territories to participate in a summer camp programme, with the aim being to politically indoctrinate children to align with Russia.”
Ukraine is fighting for its future as a State. The only way that Russia’s war can come to an end is through a just and sustained peace that fully respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We call on the international community to support Ukraine until that peace is won.
Source – UK Government
No legal grounds for Russian ‘so-called elections’ in occupied Ukraine: UN official
New York, 8 September 2023
The so-called elections held by Russia in occupied areas of Ukraine “have no legal grounds”, a senior political affairs official said on Friday, reiterating UN’s commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Briefing the Security Council, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, reiterated the UN Secretary-General’s position that “any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the principles of the Charter and international law.”
He voiced concern over reports of Russia holding so-called elections in areas of Ukraine it controls militarily, stating:
“These so-called elections in the occupied areas of Ukraine have no legal grounds.”
Clear UN position
Mr. Jenča recalled the “illegal attempt” by Russia to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions of Ukraine, “through the organization of illegal so-called referendums” in September last year.
“I wish to reiterate that the United Nations remains fully committed to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters,” he said.
Legal obligations
Mr. Jenča also highlighted that Russia, as the occupying power, is obligated under international humanitarian law “to respect, unless absolutely prevented, the laws of Ukraine in force in the areas that it occupies”.
“We continue to condemn any actions that could further escalate or deteriorate the situation.”
Humanitarian concerns
The senior UN official expressed concerns about the humanitarian needs and human rights situation in Russian occupied areas, as well as the lack of access.
“Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine […] continues to inflict large scale suffering on the people of Ukraine as they face daily, intensifying attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he said.
Since February 2022, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) has documented 26,717 civilian casualties, including 9,511 killed and 17,206 injured. At least 549 children have been killed and a further 1,166 injured.
Ongoing ‘relentless attacks’
Just this week, a Russian missile attack on a crowded market in Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region, claimed the lives of 16 people, including a child.
Ukraine’s agricultural and port facilities have also been subjected to “continuing, relentless attacks”, Mr. Jenča said, adding that Russian strikes, after it decided not to extend the Black Sea Initiative, “risk having far-reaching consequences for global food security”.
“Attacks directed against civilians and civilian infrastructure, including objects necessary for food production and distribution, are prohibited under international law,” he stressed.
Source – UN